Moving platform



H. s. PUTNAM MOVING PLATFORM FIG. 1

Original Filed May 15, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 f INVENTOR 1,541,070 ,H. s. PUTNAM June 9, 1925.

MOVING PLATFORM 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed May 15 1922 INVENTOR TTORNEW Patented June 9, 1925. I UNITED STATES HENRY S. PUT'NAM, 0'! NEW YORK, N. Y.,

PATENT OFFICE.-

ASSIGNOR TG CONTINUOUSTRANSIT COM- KPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A GORI'ORATION O13 DELAWARE.

MOVING PLATFORM.

Original application filed May 15, 1922,Seria1.No. 561,184. Patent No. 1,437,549, dated December 5, 1922. Divided and this application filed September 30, 1922. Serial No. 591,439.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY S. PUTNAM, a citizen of the United States, a resident of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Moving Platform, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to a moving platform consisting of a series of cars or trucks connected together to make up a continuous structure adapted for transportation purposes. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the platform extends the entire length of an endless track, thus making a loop transit apparatus which may be used for passengers or freight as desired. A complete apparatus of the above type is disclosed in my prior co-pending United States application Serial No. 561,184, filed May th, 1922, now Patent 1,437,549, granted Dec. 5, 1922, and entitled Electrically operated transportoaion apparatus, of which this application is a division, and reference is hereby made to said prior application, as an illustration of one type of transportation system in which the present invention may be utilized.

The present invention has for an object to provide a1 moving platform of the type above mentioned, wherein the cars or trucks are so constructed and related to each other as to enable the platform to move readily in a curved path, and without objectionable displacement between adjacent cars when disposed at an angle to each other.

Further objects and advantages of the in vention will be in part obvious and in part specifically mentioned in the description hereinafter contained which, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, discloses a preferred embodiment of the in rention; such embodiment, however, is to be considered as merely illustrative of its principle; in the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic sideelevation of a portion of a transportation apparatus embodying a moving platform constructed in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1, but showing the apparatus more as a whole. 1

Figs. 3 and 4: are respectively a plan and a side elevation of one of the cars adapted to be connected to other like cars, to make up a moving platform in accordance with the invention. i

The cars l of the platform run onrails 2 (Fig. 1) which may be considered as of any usual construction, and the cars may be impelled along the track in any desired manner, for example by means of short circuited secondary windings 17 (Fig. 1) mounted beneath the cars, and inductively related. to polyphase primary windings 3 located along the track and properly connected to feeders. 8, 9 and 11. Such an inductive drive is disclosed more specifically in my prior application above referred to, and accordingly will not be describedin greater detail herein.

In accordance with the present invention, the cars 1 which make up the moving platform are provided with wheels at only one end, and the remaining end of each car is pivotally connected to the wheeled end of a car next adjacent. As illustrated in Figs. 8 and 4, each car is provided with a longitudinal supporting member 19 carrying at one end an axle 20 for a pair of wheels 21, and at its other end said supporting member carries a coupling adapted to form a pivotal connection with the axle 20 of an adjacent car; in the present instance such pivotal connection is effected by means of plates 22 and 23 (Fig. 4) mounted on the supporting member 19 and adapted to be positioned respectively above and below the axle 20 of an adjacent car, and a pivot pin 24 extending through the members 20, 22 and 23. Thus the end of each car which is without wheels, is supported by the wheeled end of an'adjacent car. In the diagrammatic view (Fig. 1), the pivot pin 5' is shown as passing through overlapping portions of the car platform and above the level of the axle of the wheels.

I prefer to locate the pivot points above mentioned, substantially midway between the wheels 21 of the supporting cars, and at, or substantially in the same vertical plane as, the axis of the wheels 21 of such cars. Thus the curvature of the track will not tend to shift the cars unduly with regard to each other when they are angularly related, which is particularly necessary in an endless platform, where the cars are connected? to form. a complete loop of fixed length.

The floors of the cars also preferably are provided With arcuately shaped projecting and recessed portions 25 and 26 respectively, (as indicated in Fig. 3), such arcuate portions being concentric with the pivot pins 24, whereby gaps between the ends of the car floors are prevented when the cars move angularly relative to each other. It is particularly desirable to have the platform con tinuons in all-positions for passenger purposes, to prevent injury in passing from one car to anothen \Vhile a specific embodiment-ofthe invention has been disclosed, it is obvious that many changes may be made therein Without departing from its principles as defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. An endless moving platform comprising cars each having Wheels only at one end, the Wheels of the respective cars being fixed thereto as regards angular movements, and each car at its other end having a partoverlapping and'pi'votally supported from the Wheeled end of the respective adjacent car, said cars having floors making up a continuous platform and provided With arcuate mating portions permitting relative angular movements between the floors: of adjacent cars] r 2. The combination set forth in claim 1, wherein the pivotal supports are located substantlally at the axes of the Wheels oi for pivotally conneeting the same to adjacentcars at points substantially at the axes of the Wheels oi such adjacent cars, said cars carrying floors at the same level having complementary 'arcuately. shaped projecting and recessed portions concentric with the pivotal points. 1

a, A moving'platform unit comprising a car havingrwheels only atone end, and arrying an element of a pivotal connection at eachof its opposite ends, one of said elementsbeing locatedsubstantially at the axis of the Wheels, and said car being provided with a floorhaving arcuately shaped edge portions at'the same level at its opposite ends, which port-ions are concentric with the pivotal connect-ion elements.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing, I have hereunto set my hand this 29th day of September, 1922.v

HENRY s. PUTNAM. 

